Rugby: Sharks show teeth

Leinster 22 Sale Sharks 23

Sale, inspired by a hard-working pack and spurred by the scoring exploits of Charlie Hodgson, shocked the lacklustre home side and threw Pool 3 wide open.

Leinster's fears were obvious from the start and became even more acute when Brian O'Driscoll limped off with a hamstring strain early in the first-half.

The visitors bade farewell to their Australian signing Stuart Pinkerton his last game for the club and what a farewell it proved to be.

Even so, Leinster could have stolen the points with a late surge and Malcolm O'Kelly was incensed not to have been awarded a try when he drove over the Sale line in injury-time.

But referee Nigel Williams was unsighted and, really, he can't be blamed for Leinster's misfortune. They turned in a lacklustre first-half display and made enough mistakes in the second to bring about their own downfall.

Sale destroyed Leinster out of touch and that was the first thing coach Gary Ella referred to as he sought to explain the loss. "It certainly wasn't something we expected.

"Our line-out has been one of our main strong points all season. We probably lost more of our own throws than we won and that created a huge amount of pressure.

"We had to live on scraps for most of the first-half and it really wasn't until the last 20 minutes that we got our game together. Sure, we could have taken the game but we probably didn't do enough."

Man of the Math Bryan Redpath, Sale's Scottish international scrum-half, reckoned comments in an article in the match programme fuelled Sale's desire to win. The author suggested Leinster would orchestrate victory by outgunning the visiting forwards.

"We won the first couple of line-outs on their throw and we never really looked back from there. Our pack was magnificent, individually and as a unit," said Redpath.

Even the most partisan of Leinster supporters among the 14,000 crowd would disagree.

First blood fell to Sale with a second minute penalty from Hodgson. But Leinster illuminated the proceedings a few minutes later with a marvellous try from captain Reggie Corrigan.

The move started inside Leinster's '22 when Keith Gleeson went on a rampaging run from the back of a line-out.

Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Horgan, Girvan Dempsey and John McWeeney all handled before Eric Miller drove for the line. His effort failed but he still managed to pop the ball up for Corrigan to plough over. Brian O'Meara added the conversion for a 7-3 lead.

That was short lived, however, and the Sale response came just after O'Driscoll limped off with a leg injury. Sale spread the ball wide and Jason White scampered over for a try that Hodgson converted.

O'Meara hit back to equalise and then Gordon D'Arcy, with a drop goal, edged Leinster in front again. But that was far from the end of stirring first-half action. Hodgson kicked a penalty and then second row Chris Jones went in for another try that Hodgson converted to give the visitors a 20-13 lead.

It was no less than the Sharks deserved on the basis of their forward supremacy and their industrious play out wide, with Jason Robinson providing most of the headaches for an overworked Leinster defence.

The Lions' woes didn't end there and they were reduced to 14 men for ten minutes when Victor Costello was shown a yellow yard in the seventh minute of the second-half.

That punishment was balanced afterwards when Dean Shofield suffered the same fate.

In between, O'Meara kicked a penalty but then missed an opportunity midway through the half. He atoned minutes later with a drop goal and Leinster were right back in the game, just a point adrift.

O'Meara had the crowd in raptures when he kicked a 73rd minute penalty, but Hodgson had the last word with a drop goal to give the visitors their deserved win.

LEINSTER: G. Dempsey, J. McWeeney, B. O'Driscoll, S. Horgan, G. D'Arcy, M. Leek, B. O'Meara, R. Corrigan (captain), S. Byrne, P. Coyle, M. O'Kelly, B. Gissing, E. Miller, V. Costello, K. Gleeson.

Replacements: D. Dillon for Miller (73), S. Jennings for Gleeson (74), B. O'Riordan, B. Burke for D'Arcy (75), D. Quinlan for O'Driscoll (19).

SALE SHARKS: J. Robinson, M. Cueto, C. Mayor, G. Bond, S. Hanley, C. Hodgson, B. Redpath, A. Sheridan, A. Titterell, S. Turner, C. Jones, D. Schofield, J. White, A. Sanderson (captain), S. Pinkerton.

Replacements: M. Kearns for Titterell (66), K. Yates for Sheridan (66), B. Stewart, I. Fullarton for Sanderson (66).

Referee: N. Whitehouse (Wales).